1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image taking system including a transmitter and an image taking apparatus. More particularly, the transmitter is disposed near a subject and transmits subject information regarding the subject, and the image taking apparatus has a receiving unit capable of receiving the subject information and stores the subject information in a memory in association with image data representing a subject image obtained through image taking operation.
2. Description of the Related Art
Amid the recent trend for high-capacity memory and storage media, it has become difficult for a user to promptly obtain a desired subject image from subject images taken by an image taking apparatus such as a digital camera and stored in memory and storage media.
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2001-228528, for example, proposes a technique to enable prompt extraction of a desired image.
More particularly, this technique attaches data on date and Global Positioning System (GPS) to image data representing a subject image and extracts a desired data based on the attached data.
When shooting a moving subject, for example, a person on a roller coaster, shutter speed needs to be adjusted in order to obtain a clear image of the subject. Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 1995-13225, for example, discloses an image taking system including a transmitter that is disposed near a subject and transmits image taking information and an image taking apparatus that has a receiver capable of receiving the subject information, so that shooting is performed in accordance with the received image taking information.
Accordingly, it can be contrived that a transmitter is adapted to transmit subject information that is a profile of a subject as well as image taking information, and an image taking apparatus with a receiver is adapted to store image data representing a subject image shot based on the received image taking information in association with the received subject information.
However, in the case where subjects are positioned closely one another, for example, monkeys in a zoo, transmitters naturally are to be closely disposed. Accordingly, an image taking apparatus may attach wrong subject information to the image data representing a shot subject.
It can be contrived to add a GPS receiver and a direction finder to an image taking apparatus, and cause a transmitter to transmit information of a position and a direction of the image taking apparatus as well as shooting information and subject information. Based on transmitted positional and directional information of the image taking apparatus that matches those detected by the image taking apparatus itself, the image taking apparatus can attach the subject information to image data representing the shot subject image.
However, even with the above contrivance, a subject image may not reportedly match subject information attached thereto, making it hard to obtain a desired subject image.